


the many faces of the years that have changed us

by chocolatecarstairs



Series: in a black dress, she's such an actress [1]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Smut, but not until the end sorry fam, complete w the million kids, it's all super meta, minus the divorce, ned and cat are basically the brangelina of westeros, ned dayne as a convenient plot device, playing their characters in the westerosi version of game of thrones, they're all actors, we spend a lot of time making fun of d&d
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-09-30 19:29:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20452370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chocolatecarstairs/pseuds/chocolatecarstairs
Summary: "If you had to pick, who would be Old Westeros' Sexiest Man Alive?""Umm, Gendry. Gendry Waters. Oh, Gods, that's so embarrassing!"-in which Arya has had a crush on her older costar for ages, and now she finally gets to act it out.





	the many faces of the years that have changed us

**Author's Note:**

> featuring:  
everyones favorite absolute lovable morons  
ned dayne and jeyne heddle as convenient plot devices  
sansa is stupid when it comes to most boys (except one)  
tyrion lannister is the grrm of this world  
new scenes i added just to keep dadvos alive  
lots of shitting on d&d
> 
> tbt to that one interview where Maisie called Joe the sexiest man in westeros. that inspired this absolute crack!fic. we're taking the best parts of got and the best parts of asoiaf and mashing them into one big, fake tv show. pls read w an open mind, bc we get seriously meta.

**Exclusive Sneak Peek: Casting the Stark Clan**

_ An interview with legendary and elusive casting director Jaqen H’ghar on how he casts the many faces of his various projects, including his most ambitious undertaking to date: casting the entire Stark family in his latest project Five Kings. _

_ Interviewer: Mr. H’ghar, so lovely to finally meet in person. How have you been? _

**Jaqen H’ghar: A man has been well. **

_ I: I’d like to start by talking about your latest project, Five Kings. Can you please give us a bit of background on the show? _

**JH: The show is a period piece, cemented in the real history of old Westeros, it follows the families of a few of the great houses of old in a dangerous game of politics and war in a time where brutality was common. A man has been excited by the personal storylines added to the historical events, based on the books by a man called Tyrion Lannister.**

_ I: Sounds interesting! We’re excited to see Tyrion’s books come to life. We hear he’s an executive producer on the show as well. Tell us more about the casting process. Did Tyrion and the other producers have much of a say? How did you come to such an ambitious decision as casting the entire Stark Family to play their ancestral counterparts? _

**JH: A man was intrigued by the idea of descendants playing their ancestors. The Stark family has been a powerful force in Westeros since its origins, and a man was thrilled to be able to cast them.**

_ I: Yes, Ned and Catelyn are both seasoned professionals in the industry. Robb and Sansa have also both worked professionally before. Tell me, are you at all worried about the younger Starks’ lack of experience. Arya is barely twelve, do you think that her young age will affect her abilities? Or that you’ll face criticism from those who think you should have picked someone with experience? _

**JH: A girl has many talents. A man does not cast based on name alone. Names are a useless thing.**

_Subscribe to The Rose Magazine to get next month's issue complete with the rest of this interview delivered to your door anywhere in the Seven Kingdoms!_

_

“Arya! Arya! What’s it like getting to work with your family on set every day?”

“Arya, Sansa! Does working together bring you closer as sisters?”

“Arya! How has filming been going? Are you excited for the premiere?”

Arya smiled and laughed, walking hand in hand with her sister. She’d always hated the attention of the paparazzi, but at least now they were more focused on her work as an actress, not just her last name or famous parents.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this, Arya,” Sansa sighed as they made their way back into the hotel. At fourteen, her sister had been in nearly a dozen different movies and even a television show, but she still wasn’t accustomed to the hordes of people taking her picture or calling her name.

“Me neither, but it’s been most of our lives. We may as well find ways to enjoy it.”

Sansa turned to her with a raised brow. “That sounds absolutely nothing like you. What are you on about?”

Arya rolled her eyes. It was true that she and her sister were now closer than ever. Filming a show for months on end with almost nobody to talk to besides each other had helped. So had the distance from Sansa’s best friend, Jeyne Poole. Still, Arya was often reminded just how little time they’d spent together throughout their lives. “They’re fun to mess with is all.”

_

“Ha! Lyara leaves King’s Landing at the end of the season! I won’t have to work with Joffrey Baratheon anymore!”

“Oh, he’s not that bad, Arya,” Sansa rolled her eyes, but quickly returned to reading the script for the finale. “He’s actually quite handsome.”

Arya rolled her eyes at her sisters blush. 

_

“Who the hells is Gendry Waters?” Arya asked Sansa as she looked over the call sheet for her final days of filming.

“No idea,” Sansa shrugged. “Is he in one of your scenes?”

“Yeah, the one where I’m supposed to be leaving the city, but I thought I met everyone from that scene. Says he plays Eyan. Who’s that?”

“Might not be anyone important. He could just be someone they’re using to fill up the background.”

Arya shrugged. Sansa was probably right.

_

She found she didn’t entirely mind the new haircut.

Most of her life she’d kept her hair long, mostly because her mum liked it that way and she didn’t really care. Now, though, she found it was nice not to have her hair on her neck or in her face, it felt quite a bit lighter without so much length. 

Sansa had practically cried as she watched Arya’s hair being chopped off. “Are you sure you don’t want to see if they could make you a wig?”

Arya rolled her eyes. “It’s just hair, Sans, it’ll grow back.

Now, as she walked onto set with her new haircut, already dressed in her new costume and covered in fake dirt, she was quite enjoying it. They were in the Crownlands, just south of King’s Landing for filming and the heat was oppressive. 

“Hey, Lumpyhead!” Hot Pie called out as Lommy snickered beside him.

“You do know you don’t actually have to be in character at all times, right?” Arya groaned as she turned to face him. He hadn’t even told her his real name. He’d just introduced himself as Hot Pie and explained that H’ghar had noticed him when he was helping his mother at craft services.

Lommy wasn’t much better. He and Hot Pie had taken to teasing her whenever the crew wasn’t paying attention. _ Boys _.

She made to walk past them, but Lommy stuck his foot out at the last moment. Arya fell to the ground _ hard _ and rolled over to glare at the boys.

She opened her mouth to tell them off, but before she could a deep voice spoke behind her. “You like picking on the little ones? Piss off, before I make you.”

Arya turned to find a boy, about Robb and Jon and Theon’s age, with his arms crossed and his face deep in a scowl. He looked like the kind of guy Robb would have told her to stay away from, the one on movie sets who was always a little too grumpy and aggressive, who couldn’t seem to stay out of the rumor mill. 

Apparently Hot Pie and Lommy noticed this too because, after some mumbled apologies, they tucked tail and ran.

The boy offered Arya a hand. “You okay?”

Arya huffed as he pulled her up. “I’m fine. They’re just being stupid.”

“Fucking cunts is more like it. I’m Gendry, by the way,” he smiled and stuck out his hand again. Arya decided he looked nice when he wasn’t scowling. His eyes were a very pretty shade of blue. Like the sky right before evening or ice on a glacier.

“Arya,” she shook his hand and gave him a small grin. “Arya Stark."

“Stark? As in Ned and Catelyn Stark? As in you play Lyara?” Gendry’s eyes suddenly went rather wide. 

“Yes, but it’s really not a big deal-”

“Not a big deal,” Gendry scoffed. “Your family is like acting royalty, your dad practically runs this place! All that cursing, I shouldn’t have said that in front of you.”

“Oh piss off,” Arya rolled her eyes. Gendry looked a bit shocked at her foul language. “I have three older brothers, do you really think I’ve never heard a fucking swear word before?” 

Gendry smiled, and if Arya wasn’t sure before, she was certain now. He was quite handsome.

_

“And how did the two of you find out that the second season of Five Kings has been given the green light?”

Sansa gave the interviewer a smile, the kind of smile she gave when she was trying to be sweet after being asked to answer the same question for the umpteenth time that day and the ridiculous heels her stylist had forced her to wear were still killing her. “Theon called me to tell me. Robb and Jon were both out at the pub when he found out, and I was his next choice.”

“And you, Arya?”

“Mum and Dad told me at dinner,” she shrugged. It really wasn’t all that exciting. “I think Dad was excited he got his head chopped off because he gets to watch us all work without actually having to do anything himself.”

The lady from The Westeros Rose laughed. “I’m sure he is. Tell me, how much do you guys know about what’s happening this season? Any hints you can give me?”

“Well,” Sansa smiled coyly. She’d always been much better at interviews than Arya. “We did just receive our scripts the other day. It’s been a mad dash in the Stark household to finish reading, otherwise, we’ll all be spoiled.”

“How exciting! Who does the most spoiling in the house?”

“Theon.” Arya and Sansa both answered at once.

“I can imagine,” the reporter smiled. “Any surprises we should be looking forward to this season?”

Arya let Sansa take the lead on this one again. “I think you’ll find quite a few new things to enjoy about Five Kings, but that’s all I can say.”

_ 

“I mean it makes sense,” Gendry said through a mouthful of his sandwich. He and Arya were spending quite a bit of time at craft services in between takes. “That the others would all think you’re a boy.”

“The hell’s that supposed to mean?” Arya scoffed, a bit miffed. Was Gendry really saying she looked like a boy?”

“Well,” he swallowed. “You’re dressed like a boy and your hair’s all short. Girls just didn’t do that back then. If I lived in ancient Westeros, I’d probably have thought you were a boy, too.” 

“Saying I look like a man, Waters?”

“Nah,” Gendry shrugged. “Too pretty to be a boy.”

Arya hoped he didn’t notice her blushing furiously as she shoved him.

_

“I know we didn’t get along in the beginning, but I’m sad to see you die,” Arya said as she hugged Lommy goodbye. “I’m going to miss seeing you every day.”

“Bye Arry,” Lommy sounded like he was trying not to cry. Arya thought she might sound the same. 

Gendry clapped Lommy on the shoulder. “It was nice working with you, Lommy. We’ll see you soon, promise.”

The boy nodded, blinking furiously before it was time for him to leave set for the last time.

Arya felt a single tear slip down her cheek as she watched him leave. She hated that she was so sad, but she’d quite liked the small group they’d gotten to work as. The little girl who went by Weasel was leaving too. It had just been them for so long. Lommy, Hot Pie, Weasel, Arya, and Gendry. She didn’t like that their group was getting so small.

Gendry wrapped an arm around her shoulder, breaking her out of her reverie. “C’mon, m’lady, craft services always makes the best food when someone dies.”

Arya smacked his side even as she leaned into his touch. She hated that nickname just as much as Lyara. He was always using it to get a rise out of her, grinning like an idiot the whole time. “Shut up, stupid.”

She quite liked it when Gendry smiled.

_ 

“I like watching you be tortured,” she mentioned as she handed him a cookie. He was still strapped to the prop chair, but their director had called cut to make some quick adjustments and Arya knew he was starving.

“Oh yeah?” Gendry smirked. “You’d probably cry if this were real. Lyara would be lost without Eyan.”

Arya scoffed. “Please, she would have made it to Winterfell by now if Eyan and Hot Pie weren’t slowing her down. Eyan needs her. Otherwise, he’d have died five times over. I’d reckon he follows her all the way North.”

“I reckon he’d follow her to the ends of the earth if she asked.”

“Probably.” 

Arya willed herself not to blush even as she felt her cheeks heat up.

_

It was a rare hot day in the Riverlands, and they were taking full advantage of their day off by swimming at their hotel. Hot Pie had laughed as Arya walked out of the room in her bikini. _ You really are a girl! _She’d blushed furiously even as Gendry had smacked him in the back of the head. 

“Of course she’s a girl, you idiot. The stupid costume doesn’t change that.”

“Ya know,” Gendry said now as they laid by the pool. “I almost didn’t get this part.”

“Really?” Arya rolled over onto her stomach to look at him. She’d been trying to get a tan, but maybe it was better she didn’t. Continuity and all that. “I can’t imagine anyone else as Eyan.”

“Me neither,” he shrugged. “It was between me and this other guy. He was like twenty-five or something and way shorter than me. Two of the assistant producers were really pushing for him, but Tyrion shot them down. Said I looked the part better than anyone else.”

Arya could tell he was rather proud of the fact that Tyrion Lannister, the author of the books the show was based on, had hand-chosen him. 

“Twenty-five?” She scoffed. “That’s ridiculous!”

“I know!” Gendry laughed. “Can you imagine? I’m pretty sure Lannister’s been dropping hints that Lyara and Eyan are going to hook up at some point. It’s weird enough what with me being five years older than you. I can’t even imagine how weird it would be if the bloke playing Eyan was ten years older.”

Arya felt the smile drop from her face. _ It was weird? _

“Yeah,” she shrugged noncommittally before she turned back over to lay on her stomach. She put her headphones back in but kept the volume low.

“Arry, you okay?”

_ Screw continuity, _ she thought as she pretended she couldn’t hear him.

_

“I heard a few of the producers want to change the story,” Hot Pie mentioned casually as they watched Gendry go through forge practice. They’d brought an actual blacksmith onto the set and everything so he’d look like he knew what in the seventh hell he was actually doing. 

“Yeah?” Arya asked, not really caring to hear the answer.

She bit into a piece of bread as she watched Gendry swing his hammer, hitting the prop sword with a surprising amount of force. _ He’s strong, _ she thought. 

“Yeah,” Hot Pie continued. “Apparently two of them, the ones whose names start with D’s, they want to have the Red Witch kidnap him and do this whole sex scene. Full nudity, blood sacrifices, the works.”

Arya’s mouth suddenly felt very dry. It was a struggle, but she was finally able to swallow her bread. “What? When would they do it?”

He shrugged. “Sometime next season. Apparently there’s a whole band of outlaws or something coming onto the show. Lots of new cast members.” 

“New cast members? Are they coming into our storyline?” Arya was trying very hard to sound like she didn’t care very much.

Hot Pie shrugged. “Yeah, that’s what happens in the books, anyway. Gendry has a friend who’s a huge Fight of the Five Kings fan. He said in book three Lyara and Eyan and Hot Pie are all captured and ransomed or something. I heard H’ghar is back on set too, so they must be casting someone.”

Arya tried her hardest not to let her emotions show on her face. She knew her storyline would have new characters eventually, but she couldn’t help but wish it would stay just her, Hot Pie, and Gendry.

_

“Arya! Arya! How has it been working with the new cast members?”

“Ms. Stark! What is your favorite moment this season?”

Arya smiled as she walked down the red carpet, sincerely hoping she didn’t trip and fall thanks to her stupid heels. She hadn’t even turned fifteen yet, surely she could have gotten away with wearing flats.

It took a long while for her to finally make it past the photographers and the interviews, but when she finally did make it inside, she saw Gendry waiting for her.

He looked quite handsome and Arya wasn’t sure why she was noticing it. It must have been the suit. She knew Gendry had broad shoulders and muscular arms, but his costume didn’t do much to show that off. His suit was tailored to fit him perfectly, and Arya was suddenly very aware of his biceps. Besides, the makeup department usually covered their faces and hands in dirt and rubbed oils into their hair to make them look dirty. It was probably just surprising to see him looking like he’d actually bathed for once.

“You haven’t gone in yet?” Arya asked as she made her way to him.

“No,” he smiled rather sheepishly. “Hot Pie and Lommy haven’t arrived yet, and you’re the only other person here who I really know.”

Suddenly, Arya felt guilty. Gendry had been on the show since the beginning, but his role had been small in the first season. Now, in the second, he was working with kids who were so much younger than him. Hells, he could go up to the bar and order himself a drink, but he was stuck waiting for Arya to make it through the interviews so he wouldn’t be alone. She knew nearly everyone on the show, she was even related to half of them. 

“C’mon then,” she grabbed him by the hand and began pulling him inside. “I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

_

Gendry, it seemed, was terrible at meeting people. 

Arya hadn’t really noticed before, but in most social situations, he tended to sport a scowl. He constantly looked like someone had just pissed him off and he did little more than grunt or nod when talking to others.

She had tried to leave him to get to know Jon, Robb, and Theon better. She thought that maybe he felt awkward talking to them with her by his side. Because she was young, and a girl, and their little sister. But as she tried to walk away he grabbed her wrist.

“Where are you going?”

“I was going to find my sister,” she shrugged. “I figured you’d rather talk to my brothers.”

“No,” he said as he followed her into the crowd. “I’d rather just stay with you.”

She tried not to let that comment go to her head. Really she did.

_ 

“So, Gendry,” Sansa smiled as she sipped her drink. Arya thought it might be lemonade, but she could never tell with her sister these days. “How is it working with Arya? I miss having her with me on set.”

Arya and Sansa had loved filming together for their first season. If anything, it had brought them closer together as sisters. Now, though, Sansa was still filming in King’s Landing and Arya was up in the Riverlands with Gendry and Hot Pie. Sometimes, it felt like the show spread her whole family further apart, rather than bringing them closer together.

“It’s been really great, actually.” Gendry smiled. “Arya’s one of the most talented actresses I think I've ever met. Keeps me on my toes.”

He wrapped an arm around her and gave her a quick side hug. Sansa pretended not to notice her blush.

_

Later, when Gendry had run to the bar to grab another pint, Sansa smirked at her.

“So, Gendry,” she trailed off.

Arya looked at her sister. “What about him?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Arya Stark,” Sansa narrowed her eyes. “I never thought I’d see the day where a boy would make you blush.”

“Gendry_ does not _ make me blush.”

“Whatever you say,” Sansa was still smirking. 

“How’s Theon?” Arya smirked back.

That shut her up.

_

Gendry found her on the roof at the after-party and handed her a tall glass.

“What’s this?” Arya asked as she peered into the cup. 

Gendry took a seat next to her and smiled. “It’s a pint, but if anyone catches you with it I know nothing.”

“Okay,” she smiled as she took a sip. Then she groaned. “Tastes like piss.”

Gendry laughed beside her. His laugh was warm and deep and he used it much too rarely for Arya’s liking. “Yeah, but eventually you get used to it.”

They sat in silence for a while, looking out over the King’s Landing skyline. It was nighttime and the city was awash with different colored lights. Arya thought it looked rather unnatural. She much preferred the peace and quiet of Winterfell.

“You know,” she said after a while. “I’ve heard they’re splitting us up next season.”

Gendry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Arya felt bad for his stylist, surely they’d spent quite a bit of time trying to make it look neat and tidy, and Gendry hadn’t even bothered to try and keep it that way. “I know.”

“Hot Pie told you?” 

He nodded. “Yeah, and a friend of mine is a huge fan of the books. He told me Eyan joins some brotherhood and Lyara runs away.”

“I don’t want to run away,” Arya whispered. “Hot Pie told me they’re going to make Eyan fuck the Red Woman. Bet you’d like that. Filming a sex scene with Melisandre.”

She hated herself for sounding so jealous. 

“Melisandre?” Gendry scoffed. “That’s who the Red Witch is?”

Arya only nodded.

“I don’t want to fuck Melisandre, okay? And I don’t want to join a brotherhood,” Gendry ran his hands through his hair again. “I meant what I said earlier. You’re one of the most talented actresses I’ve ever worked with, and you're my friend. I don’t want to stop working with you.” 

Arya chewed her bottom lip. She didn’t trust herself to speak at that moment. 

“It doesn’t matter though,” Gendry said fiercely. His eyes were fiery and his expression serious. “It doesn’t matter if we’re working together or not, we’re friends. We’ll still see each other all the time. Right?”

“Right.”

_

Arya picked up her phone on the second ring.

“Hello?”

“Did you get the scripts?” Gendry asked in lieu of a greeting.

“Yeah,” she sighed. “I’m on the end of the first episode. What about you?”

“That’s the thing,” he said, and Arya could tell he was blushing. “I- well- I have dyslexia. I’ve been having a hard time getting through the first scene.”

“Oh,” Arya thought for a moment, then she pressed the Facetime button.

Gendry answered immediately, looking incredibly sheepish. “Why’d you call?”

“What page are you on?”

“Huh?” Gods he was so slow sometimes.

“What page of the script are you on?” She asked again, slowly this time.

“Page two,” he blushed.

“Okay, we’ll just start the scene over then.” Arya pulled her computer onto her lap and clicked back to the beginning of the script. “_ The scene opens on the new King Darron and Aleyna Stark… _”

She kept reading, even when she noticed Gendry watching her through the phone with some kind of mesmerized look on his face. When she got up to their scenes, which didn’t start until the second episode, she watched him mouth the words after her, trying to commit them to memory.

“This seems like you, you know?” Arya smiled as she read their first scene. “Asking why I didn’t use a kill to commit regicide. You and Eyan aren’t much different after all.”

“You don’t know the half of it.”

They made it all the way to episode four before Arya was too tired to continue, still, they didn’t hang up. She woke up the next morning to Gendry’s sleeping face on her phone, his soft snores playing through the speakers. She smiled.

_

“Have you seen the article?” Sansa asked.

“What article?” Arya tucked the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she pulled on her pants. Gods she hated this costume. It was the first day of a new season, but she was still in last year’s clothes.

“The one about Gendry, I’m sending you the link.”

Arya put her phone on speaker as she laced up her trousers. Just as she finished, her mobile dinged with a new message from her sister. She clicked the link and nearly dropped her phone in shock. 

_ Bobby B’s Bastard Boy? Five King’s Gendry Waters bears a little too much of a resemblance to the famed actor turned politician- _

Arya skimmed the article, complete with a side-by-side photo comparison of Gendry and her own father’s best friend, Robert Baratheon. The photo of Robert was taken when he was nineteen, at the premiere of one of his movies. The photo of Gendry was taken at the same age. In fact, Arya had been the one to take it. She’d posted it to her Snapchat story just the week before.

“Oh, Gods. Sansa, I have to go.”

She hung up before Sansa could get a word in and raced out of the costume trailer. Gendry’s own trailer was just down the row and she barged in without even knocking.

The sight before her broke her heart.

Gendry was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands, staring at the floor. He barely even looked up when she slammed his door open. He just knew it was her.

“I should have known, Arya,” he mumbled as she sat down next to him. “I should have known. Mum never did let me watch any of his movies.”

“You couldn’t have known, Gendry,” she was surprised by how soft her voice sounded to her own ears.

“He called me, just now, actually,” Gendry finally looked up at her, and his eyes were filled with tears. “He’s known about me since I was thirteen, Arya. _ Thirteen _! And he left me in foster care to rot so he wouldn’t upset his wife.”

“Oh, Gendry,” Arya cooed as she wrapped her arms around him. He didn’t even hesitate. His arms were around her middle and his head buried in the crook of her neck before she took her next breath. She could feel his hot tears on her shoulder and the silent sobs wracking his body. “I’m so sorry.”

They stayed like that for nearly an hour. When they were finally called for their scene, Gendry stood up and wiped his face, squaring his shoulders. Arya had a hard time reconciling his steely glare and stiff posture with the Gendry who had just wrapped his arms around her and held her to him as he cried.

They never spoke about it again.

_

“Fuck,” she groaned as she peered at her call sheet. “It’s Sandor Clegane.”

“Hmm?” Gendry asked, barely looking up from the video game he was playing.

“He plays the Hound,” Arya supplied. “He’s a real ass. I knew he’d be coming back this season, but I’d hoped it wouldn’t be so soon into filming.”

_

“Please don’t leave,” she cried as she hugged Hot Pie as tightly as she could.

“Can’t help it,” he shrugged. “Besides, it’s not like I’m leaving set for good. I’ll still be helping my mum with catering.”

Arya’s eyes lit up as she turned to Gendry with a smile. He smiled back at her. “We’ll see you tomorrow then, Hot Pie?” 

“See ya tomorrow.”

_

She wished the Brotherhood wasn’t so likable.

She wanted to hate them for ruining their dynamic, but truthfully, it wasn’t their fault. She wished Hot Pie could’ve stayed on with them, but Tyrion Lannister had written him out before the show had been a concept.

So, she wanted to hate them, but she couldn’t. Beric, Thoros, Tom, Lem, Anguy, Ned, and even Harwin, who’d worked with her father before, were just too damn nice. They all laughed together in between takes and Anguy was teaching her how to shoot a bow. It was nice to see Gendry laughing and joking around more often. Though, he still wasn’t entirely comfortable around the others.

After one particularly bawdy joke, Anguy had turned to wink at her. “He only laughs like that when you’re around, ya know? When you’re off doing your own scenes, he’s as sullen as anything.”

Arya looked over to Gendry, who was already looking at her with a grin on his face, laughing loudly. She smiled back.

_

“I don’t like him,” Gendry said as they walked around High Heart, counting tree stumps.

“Who?” Arya asked. They were on number fifteen, she knew from the days before that there were thirty-one, but this had become a new routine of theirs and she would never purposely ruin an excuse to be alone with Gendry.

“Ned Dayne,” he huffed.

Arya laughed, “Why not? He’s really nice, and he knows Jon.”

She’d missed her older brother, who had spent most of his time on the show filming north of the Wall. He’d always been her favorite, and the separation from him had been the hardest part of this job. Ned Dayne’s stories of his old projects with Jon had helped some. 

“I just don’t like him,” Gendry grumbled.

“I’m starting to think you don’t like anybody,” Arya laughed as she walked on ahead of him.

“I like you,” he whispered, but she didn’t quite catch it.

_

“So, when you say ‘I can be your family’ I want you to say it like I love you,” the director instructed on their final take.

“Okay.” Arya breathed. _ I can do that. _

_

“I don’t want you to go,” she mumbled into Gendry’s chest. They’d just wrapped their final day of filming together. He was off to film in the northern Riverlands and she was heading west with Clegane.

“Please,” he scoffed as he held her a little bit tighter. “You’ll be fine. Fifteen name-days under your belt and you’re already way more talented than me. I’d just hold you back.”

“Shut up, stupid,” she looked up at him. “Promise we’ll still talk?”

Gendry nodded. “Promise.”

_

Two days of filming with Clegane, and she already wanted to rip his head off.

He’d only shrugged when she’d told him as much. “Can’t help you don’t like me as much as your little boyfriend, Stark.”

She flushed bright red, then narrowed her eyes. She definitely wanted to rip his head off.

_

“Bet you really liked leaving me to die, huh?” Clegane laughed sarcastically as they wrapped their last day of filming together.

A sly smile found its way to Arya’s face. “I enjoyed it.”

“Wolf bitch,” she heard Sandor mumble under his breath.

_

She answered the phone with a smile on her face. The clock next to her bed read _ 12:00 AM. _

“Happy name-day, Arya.” Gendry’s voice sounded a bit gravelly through the speakers. He must’ve been tired.

“Thanks, Genj,” she smiled. 

“Sixteen is a big one,” he continued. “I’m looking forward to the party.”

“Party?” Arya asked.

“Fuck, it was supposed to be a surprise and now I’ve gone and ruined it, haven’t I?”

“No,” she smiled. “You haven’t ruined anything at all.”

_

She still wasn’t used to red carpets.

She’d been on the show for over three years now and had walked countless red carpets with her family before that, but something about getting dressed up and posing for a ton of people with cameras would always feel unnatural to Arya.

She’d finished taking her obligatory pictures, though she was nearly positive she looked absolutely horrible in every single one, and she had moved on to the interviews.

For the most part, she was asked the same questions at each stop. _ What was your favorite moment from filming this season? Any surprises about the new season you can tell us? How excited are you for everyone to see the third season of Five Kings? _

Her responses were usually all the same, too. _ Getting to work with Gendry and Hot Pie again. There are quite a few surprises, but you’ll have to wait and see them for yourselves. I can’t wait, I hope everyone loves it as much as I do. _

Of course, occasionally the reporters threw in a curveball or two.

"If you had to pick, who would be Old Westeros' Sexiest Man Alive?"

Arya flushed bright red. She had the answer ready immediately, but she really did not want to let the whole world know it. "Umm, Gendry. Gendry Waters. Oh, Gods, that's so embarrassing!"

The reporter laughed and smiled at Arya. “That’s fitting for you, seeing as you play Lyara.”

“Yeah, I guess everyone ships us or something. Gods, I can’t believe you’re making me say this! I’ve never told anyone this before.”

She blushed the rest of the way down the carpet

_

“You really called him the sexiest man in Westeros?” Sansa laughed as she sipped her champagne.

“I panicked!”

_

“Arya, guess what?” Gendry asked her as they lounged by the pool. He’d come up to Winterfell for the weekend before he was set to go further north to film some short indie project.

“Hm?” Arya asked from her spot on her pool-float as she sipped her drink. Sansa truly did make the best daiquiris.

“Westeros Rose just called,” he smirked. “They’re asking what dates work best to schedule my photo shoot for the Sexiest Man Alive edition.”

Arya felt her cheeks heat up as she splashed him. “I hate you, Gendry Waters.” 

The problem was, she really didn’t.

_

The scripts arrived while Gendry was still in the North, and Arya Facetimed him to read them together.

“Hey,” she smiled into the phone. “Did you get the scripts?”

“Not all of them,” he sighed. “I’m only in one episode.”

“What?” Arya was shocked. “Why?”

Gendry shrugged. “It’s what happens in the books apparently. Lyara goes to Braavos and Eyan stays behind. He doesn’t really have a main character around, except Lady Stoneheart, but he stays at the inn mostly.”

“Oh,” she sighed. “I just hoped we’d both still be on the show, even if we weren’t together.”

“Eh,” he shrugged. “At least now I can visit you on set.”

Arya tried her hardest not to smile.

_

The first time he visited her on set was also the last.

She hadn’t been expecting him, so, when the director called for lunch and she had some time to relax in her trailer, she was nearly shocked into silence when she found him sitting on her couch.

Nearly.

“Gendry?” She asked. “What are you doing here?”

He was up and across the room in a second, scooping her up into his arms and spinning her around. “I did it, Arya! I got the part.”

The part in question was a leading role in a promising television series about the Westerosi Secret Forces. She’d helped him practice lines and film his self-tapes for the auditions, and she’d known right away that the premise was incredible. She had no doubts that the show would be a huge success. 

“That’s amazing,” she laughed, slightly dizzy and breathless from being spun around. He still hadn’t put her down. “When do you start?”

“We start shooting the pilot in two weeks,” he said as he finally set her to the ground. “If it gets picked up, we’ll be in Dorne for six months.”

Arya’s stomach dropped. “Dorne?”

He nodded and ran his hands through his hair. His eyes were still a little wild and his face a little flushed, almost as if he couldn’t believe he’d gotten the role. “I know I told you it was going to be in Braavos, which would’ve been great because you’ll be on location there. But they made the decision to move it to Dorne. Otherwise, we’d be going back and forth between Braavos and King’s Landing too much. Dorne has everything we need.”

“Oh,” Arya tried not to sound disappointed.

“Hey,” Gendry smiled softly at her. “It’ll be better this way. By the time we’d start filming, you’ll be wrapped for the next season. You can come down to Dorne and I’ll show you all the cool places to eat and drink that I’m going to find when we film the pilot.”

Arya chuckled. “We could go to Starfall. Visit Ned Dayne.”

“Hard pass,” he grinned. “But we can go to the beach instead. Maybe even the Water Gardens. What do you say?”

“Sounds lovely.”

_

“Gods, I can’t believe Harry turned out to be such an ass,” Sansa sniffed as her and Arya laid in their hotel room. “I really thought I’d chosen well. He didn’t seem as bad as Joffrey and the fame didn’t bother him like it did Pod. I just can’t believe he cheated.”

“I know,” Arya agreed, doing her best to comfort her sister. “He’s a total cunt. You’ll find someone better. I promise.”

“Just don’t let yourself get so worked up over guys, Arya,” Sansa sighed. “It’s not worth it.”

_ 

Arya’s phone went off, distracting her from the magazine she was reading.

_ Gendry 11:06 _

_ Hey, are u heading to the airport yet? _

_ my costar is so excited to meet u _

_ ur going to love her _

She chewed her bottom lip as she typed out her response. 

_Arya 11:08 _

_ no :( _

_ came down with a stomach thing this morning, too sick to fly _

_Gendry 11:08 _

_ FUCK that blows _

_ feel better love _

Arya sighed as she put her phone down and picked up her copy of the Westeros Rose. She flipped back to the article she’d been reading.

** _Dates in Dorne: _ **

_ Gendry Waters seen cozying up to his newest costar Jeyne Heddle while filming in Sunspear. _

She picked her phone back up and opened her emails, clicking on the link for her flight info. She sighed as she hit the cancel button. _ So much for the Water Gardens _, she thought.

_

“I just can’t believe it,” Sansa said through a mouthful of ice cream. “He seemed like he really cared about you.”

Arya sighed as she took another spoonful from the carton. “He does, Sansa, just not the way I want him to.”

Her sister did not look convinced.

_ 

The invitation arrived four months later with the post.

_ Come to the premiere, bring your sister or someone. I want you to see all of my hard work. Think you might actually be proud of me. x Gendry _

Arya pulled out the invitation to his show’s premiere and the two plane tickets to King’s Landing.

She sighed, knowing she’d have to ask Sansa to find her a dress.

_ 

“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Arya. Gendry never shuts up about you, I feel like I know you already.”

Jeyne was being polite and Gendry was blushing. Arya forced herself to remain calm and shake her hand, even though she couldn’t help but notice Gendry’s hand on the small of Jeyne’s back.

_

“She’s not as pretty as you,” Sansa offered.

“Oh come off it, she’s very pretty.” Arya sighed as she watched Gendry and Jeyne laugh together at the bar. “Besides, you and I both know it’s not fair to judge her on her looks.”

“I know,” Sansa sounded resigned. “But she doesn’t know him as well as you do. She’s not his person.”

Arya took a long sip of her champagne. Sansa had ended up getting it for her because Gendry had been too busy flirting with Jeyne to do it. “I don’t think I am anymore either.”

_

“Hullo, m’lady” Gendry greeted her in the hallway with a wide grin. His eyes were glassy but they had a mischievous look to them that made Arya’s stomach squirm.

“Hi,” Arya smiled back tentatively. He’d spent the whole night talking to Jeyne and effectively ignoring her. Why the hells was he following her out of the party?

“You’re not leavin’ are you?” Gendry’s smile suddenly turned into a full-fledged pout and Arya struggled not to laugh at how absolutely adorable he looked. He grabbed her wrist softly, holding her in place. “Don’t go, Arry. Please.”

He hiccupped. Arya frowned. “You’re drunk.”

Gendry shook his head a little wildly, and his hair fell into his eyes making them look even brighter blue against the onyx of his fringe. “Am not,” he hiccuped again. “Okay, maybe jus’ a little.”

“Gendry,” she sighed, tugging her wrist from his grasp. “I want to go home.”

His eyes lit up again. “Can I come? This party blows.”

“It’s your premiere. You should be having fun.”

Gendry shrugged. “It’s no fun without you here.” 

Against her better judgment, Arya grabbed his hand. “Come on then, stupid.”

_

“Did ya like the first episode?” Gendry slurred as they made their way up to his flat.

It was slow going. He was too drunk to realize how much of his weight he was putting on her. She was stumbling under it all, his arm around her shoulder as she helped him up the stairs. Because of course, his flat would be in the only building in Visenya’s Hill without a lift. 

“It was really good,” she grunted as she finally got him onto his floor. They made their way down the hallway to his front door. “You did an amazing job.”

He was absolutely beaming as she took his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door to his flat. “You really think so? I was worried you’d think it was weird. Especially the sex scene.”

“The sex scene was a bit weird to watch,” she shrugged, hoping he was too drunk to notice her blush. “But the rest of it was amazing.”

“Good,” Gendry hummed as she finally got the door open.

Suddenly, Gendry was miraculously able to walk without support. He made his way into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “Want a drink?”

Arya felt anxious as she watched him pull two bottles of beer from the fridge, holding one out to her. “No, thanks. I’ve got to get myself back to my hotel tonight.”

Gendry shrugged as he popped the cap off of his bottle and took a long sip. “You could always stay here.” 

Arya considered him for a moment. “I could, but I can’t.”

His pained expression as he tried to puzzle out her answer was enough to make Arya giggle.

“C’mon, stupid. Let’s get you to bed.”

_

“Thanks for coming tonight, Arry,” Gendry mumbled as she pulled the duvet up to his shoulders. “It wouldn’t have meant anything if you weren’t here with me.”

Arya blushed as she tried to suppress the grin she could feel on her face. She shouldn’t feel so pleased with herself. She was barely with him the entire night. He’d been much more interested in spending all of his time with Jeyne. But still.

“Of course, Genj,” she smiled.

She would’ve said more, but he was already asleep.

_

_ Gendry 10:33 _

_ My head is bloody killing me. _

_ is this what dying feels like? _

_ tell Hot Pie I've always loved him _

_ Arya 10:34 _

_ HA _

_ we all know i’ve always been your favorite _

_ i’ll let him know he’s catering the funeral tho _

_ Gendry 10:34 _

_ Of course ur my favorite _

_ Hot Pie’s not nearly as pretty _

_ thanks for getting me home btw _

_ Arya 10:35 _

_ didn’t have much choice considering the fact that you practically followed me into my car _

_ jk you’re welcome _

_ Gendry 10:35 _

_ I did not follow u to ur car _

_ I just didn’t want u leaving without me _

_ Arya 10:35 _

_ sounds like you followed me _

_ from the premiere of your own bloody show _

_ to go back to your flat _

_ loser _

_ Gendry 10:36 _

_ can’t help it _

_ I’ve missed u _

_ it’s not the same working without u _

_ Arya 10:37 _

_ ik ik. i’m the best actress you’ve ever worked w/ _

_ nobody else can ever compare _

_ missed you too stupid _

_ Gendry 10:38 _

_ Want to get brunch? _

_ there’s a good spot on Aegon’s High Hill we can catch up and hang out _

_ u and me? _

_ 11:30? _

_ Sansa can come too if she wants. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to see her too _

_ Arya 10:43 _

_ sansa says she’s in _

_ see you there _

_

“I thought the whole purpose of this brunch was to catch up with us,” Sansa whispered in Arya’s ear.

“That’s what he said when he asked me to come,” Arya agreed.

“So what in the seventh hell is _ she _doing here?” 

Arya looked across the table, where Gendry was laughing at some story Jeyne was telling. Her sister, Willow, was sitting next to them, giggling as well. Nobody noticed that Arya and Sansa were not amused in the slightest.

“I’m not sure, Sans,” Arya said as she took another bite of her Eggs Benedict. “I just wish he would’ve told me he was bringing her. I wouldn’t have gotten my hopes up.”

On the other side of the table, Gendry laughed loudly. Arya sighed, remembering a time when he’d only laughed like that for her.

_

Their ride home was silent for the most part. Willow and Jeyne had left early, citing some kind of sister shopping day as their excuse, but the damage had already been done. Both Arya and Sansa were a bit miffed that Gendry had ignored them in favor of the Heddle sisters for most of the meal, and so the rest of their time together had been rather awkward.

As they paid their bill, Sansa announced that she was heading off as well. “Podrick heard I was in town and asked if I wanted to catch up over coffee. If you’d rather I stay, Arya, I’ll tell him we’ll do it some other time.”

Arya had let her sister go. Sansa and Pod may not have have been the perfect couple, but they worked infinitely better as friends. She would never want to keep her sister from one of her friends, even if it meant an awkward car ride with Gendry.

“You sure you just want to go back to your hotel?” Gendry asked about ten minutes away from their brunch. City traffic was killer. “We could go back to my place or hang around the city.”

“I’m sure.” Arya wished her voice didn’t sound so soft and quiet. She hated it. “I need to pack.”

Gendry nodded and then it was quiet again.

_ 

“What did you think of Willow?” Gendry blurted out at the same time Arya finally said, “So, you’re shaggin’ her, then?”

He sputtered and turned red, but kept his eyes on the road ahead of them. “Shagging who?”

Arya refused to let herself be embarrassed. She also refused to look at him. “Jeyne.”

They weren’t far from the hotel, now. Just a couple of blocks, really. For the first time since meeting him, Arya couldn’t wait to get to her room and get away from Gendry.

“I- it’s,” he seemed at a loss for words. “Why do you care whether or not I’m shagging her? It’s not like I need your permission or something. I can do whatever I damn well please.”

Arya scoffed. 

“My permission? I don’t give a shit what girls you decide to fuck, _ Gendry _,” she spat his name as if it tasted rotten in her mouth. “What I care about is the fact that you invited me and my sister to your premiere, and then spent all night ignoring us to stare at your costar’s tits!”

“I did not spend the whole night ignoring you!” Gendry growled. “I left when you did!” 

“Yeah, and you were proper pissed,” she rolled her eyes. “I’ve spent about fifteen minutes alone with you- _ sober- _since I’ve gotten to King’s Landing and it’s been this awful bloody car ride! 

“You invited Sansa and me to brunch under the guise of catching up, but you spent the whole meal laughing with Willow and Jeyne about stuff that happened when you were filming! You didn’t even care to speak to us. We may as well have not come!”

Gendry scowled at her. “So why did you come, then? You didn’t have to. It’s not like I would have cared.”

“Because I’ve missed you, you bloody idiot!” Arya cried. They’d finally pulled up in front of her hotel and Arya scrambled to get out of the car. “I hadn’t seen you in months, and when you sent the tickets, I was excited to finally get to spend some time with you! I never thought you’d have already found somebody to replace me as your best friend. You were my person! Guess I didn’t realize I was never yours.”

Gendry’s face fell and he looked well and truly guilty as she grabbed the car door to close it. “Arya, wait, I-” 

She didn’t give him a chance to finish. She slammed the door and ran for the lobby, ignoring him calling after her.

_

Sansa made it back to the hotel in record time. Arya had only called her twenty minutes ago, so she must have sped across the city. Granted, it was very rare for Arya to be crying, so she couldn’t blame her sister for violating a couple of traffic laws to come comfort her.

Sansa stopped at the door to take in Arya’s appearance. She was wrapped up in the hotel blankets, sitting up against the headboard. Her face was no doubt red and blotchy and stained with tears. She was pretty sure her eyes are terribly bloodshot, and the tears would not stop coming, no matter how hard she tried.

“Oh, Arya,” Sansa cooed as she wrapped her younger sister up in her arms. “What happened?”

Arya told her all of it. Everything that had happened from the moment they’d set foot in King’s Landing three days prior, even things that had happened before. Once she’d finished, Sansa stood up and made her way towards the door.

“Right, I’m off to go kill him,” she says as casually as someone would say they’re off to bed. “Should’ve done it when I saw him in the lobby. He begged me to let him up, the prick.”

“He’s still here?” Arya hated the way her voice cracked.

She hated the pity in Sansa’s eyes more.

_

_ Gendry 13:28 _

_ Can you pls tell me ur room number? _

_ I’ve been going from floor to floor for ages trying to find u _

_ Gendry 13:30 _

_ Arry pls I'm sorry _

_ I want to talk _

_ Gendry 13:32 _

_ Arya... _

_ 5 Missed Calls from Gendry 13:33 _

_ Gendry 14:01 _

_ right _

_ well _

_ I’ll be in the lobby if u want to talk _

_ Gendry 14:15 _

_ I’m really sorry Arya _

_

_ Sansa 14:30 _

_ Stop calling her, Gendry. _

_ It’s just making her more upset. _

_ Gendry 14:31 _

_ I just want to talk to her _

_ I feel like an ass _

_ Sansa 14:31 _

_ That’s because you are one. _

_ Sansa 14:37 _

_ Seriously, she’s too upset to talk right now. _

_ Constantly calling is only making it worse. _

_ Give her a day or two, then reach out once we’re home. _

_ Gendry 14:37 _

_ okay… _

_ 

“Hello, little sister,” Jon smiled as Arya walked through the front door.

She dropped her bags in shock. She hadn’t seen Jon in ages, and here he was waiting for her to get home. She ran into his arms like she’d done when she was eight, making him laugh as he held her tightly.

“I’ve missed you, too,” he chuckled as he scooped her up into his arms and lifted her off the ground. 

“What are you doing here?” Arya asked as they made their way into the living room. She immediately got cozy in the armchair while Jon took his usual spot on the couch. “I thought you were supposed to be shooting beyond the Wall.”

“We have a few days off while they build the new sets,” he shrugged almost sheepishly. “And Sansa texted me. She said it might be nice for us to spend some time together after your trip to King’s Landing.”

The look of pity on Jon’s face told Arya that her sisters big mouth was at it again. “Sansa talked to you, then?”

He gave her a knowing smile. “She may have mentioned how annoyed she was with Gendry after this weekend. She may have also hinted that you were even more upset.”

Arya groaned. “She should learn not to hint at things.” 

“Agreed,” he chuckled. “What happened between you and Gendry, then? You’re usually practically attached at the hip. Every pub night he’s come out to he’s spent the whole night texting you. I’ve barely had a conversation with the guy that didn’t somehow involve you.”

“He spent the whole weekend with his costar,” she shrugged. “Hanging on her every word, ignoring me and Sansa. Turns out he’s shagging her.”

“And that bothers you?” 

“No!” Arya blushed. She was not bothered that Gendry was fucking Jeyne. _ She wasn’t _ . “It bothers me that he’s supposed to be _ my _ best friend, but he spent all weekend ignoring me for _ her _.”

She did not like the look of the smile that Jon was trying to hide. “I see.”

“Then, he has the audacity to act as if I didn’t have to come! _ He _ invited _ me _! Yet he acted as if I came down and just got in his way. Probably did,” she huffed. “Bet he’d have fucked Jeyne all weekend if Sansa and I weren’t there.”

Jon was doing a terrible job trying to hide his smirk. Arya was furious. 

“What are you looking at me like that for?” She demanded. 

“Nothing,” Jon was still smiling. “Nothing at all.”

_

Arya received a package the day after Jon left. 

The first thing inside was a note. 

_ I’m sorry. I know I’m an ass. I’m gonna make it up to you. Promise. See you at the game. x Gendry _

She put the note aside and pulled out two tickets to see the Winterfell Direwolves play the King’s Landing Dragons in their first home game of the season. 

She smiled despite herself. Gendry may be an ass, but he definitely knew how to apologize. 

_

“I’m waiting,” she said, her hands on her hips, as soon as he stepped through the door. 

Gendry smiled down at her sheepishly, before he pulled her into a crushing hug. “I’m sorry, Arry. I shouldn’t have ignored you the whole time you were in King’s Landing. I didn’t even realize I was doing it, to be honest, but as soon as you told me I realized what an ass I’d been and felt horrible.”

She wondered if he’d mention Jeyne at all. Maybe it was better if he didn’t.

“I forgive you, stupid. But you still have to buy me the biggest popcorn and soda at the game.”

_

The Direwolves were up by three goals and Arya was on her second popcorn, courtesy of the man to her left.

Gendry cheered for the Dragons, _ the git _. He was currently screaming for their goalie to block a shot from Karstark.

“C’mon, block ‘im! Block ‘im!”

Arya turned to smirk at him as the puck shot into the net. “Ha! The Direwolves are the best team in the league, I don’t know why you’d think the Dragons would be able to beat ‘em.”

“Oh, shut up.” Gendry rolled his eyes, but he was smiling as he put his arm around her, cheering for the Dragons even as they lost by four.

_

“Have you seen this?” Sansa smirked as she dropped a copy of the Westeros Rose in front of Arya.

** _Stark Devotion:_ **

** ** _ Costars Gendry Waters and Arya Stark spotted on a date in Winterfell. But what about his fling with Jeyne Heddle? How do they manage the age gap? A close source tells all. _

Arya rolled her eyes. “Gods, it's like they don't know we've been friends for years. Like, get a life.”

_

_ Arya 8:09 _

_ what time is your flight tonight? _

_ i want to get dinner at this great seafood spot near the titan _

_ you’ll love it. _

_ Gendry 8:15 _

_ Shit _

_ I thought I texted u _

_ Arya 8:16 _

_ what? _

_ you never texted me? _

_ Gendry 8:18 _

_ I’m not coming _

_ I thought I told u last week _

_ Arya 8:18 _

_ no _

_ why not? _

_ Gendry 8:20 _

_ Jeyne and I had a fight _

_ she thinks it’s weird that I was going to visit you again when I’d just seen you two weeks ago _

_ says people are going to get the wrong idea _

_ Arya 8:21 _

_ that’s ridiculous _

_ we’ve been best friends for 5 years _

_ everybody knows that _

_ Gendry 8:22 _

_ That’s what I said! _

_ but she didn’t want to hear it _

_ she said if I came, I’d be choosing u over her or something _

_ it was just easier to cancel _

_ Arya 8:30 _

_ so _

_ instead of making her understand _

_ or sticking up for our friendship _

_ or literally anything else _

_ you chose her over me? _

_ Gendry 8:31 _

_ It’s not like that! _

_ Arya 8:31 _

_ so then what is it like? _

_ Gendry 8:31 _

_ It’s not a big deal Arya _

_ I’ll just come the weekend after next _

_ Arya 8:33 _

_ what happens then when she asks you not to come again? _

_ Gendry 8:33 _

_ She won’t _

_ Arya 8:34 _

_ sure, genj _

_ Gendry 8:35 _

_ Don’t be mad _

_ please _

_ Gendry 8:37 _

_ Arya? _

_ Arya 8:38 _

_ i have to go _

_ they’re calling me to set _

_ see you whenever _

_ Gendry 8:38 _

_ Arya… _

_

Three days after Gendry’s canceled trip, Arya’s mobile lit up.

_ Gendry 15:09 _

_ booked a flight in 2 weeks _

_ see u then _

_

“I’m sorry, Arya,” Gendry sounded distracted over the phone. “I told Jeyne that I was planning to come, but she forgot. She booked this weekend at some bed and breakfast in the Reach and it’s nonrefundable.”

“She forgot?” Arya was not convinced that Jeyne Heddle was the forgetful type.

“Yeah, she’s usually never like that. Must be a lot on her mind lately,” he said. Arya knew she called him stupid quite a bit, but she couldn’t believe he was being so bloody _ thick _. “I’ll book a new flight for the weekend after next, okay?”

“Sure, Genj.”

_ 

“Arya?”

She was at her favorite coffee shop in Braavos, grabbing a muffin and an iced coffee before heading to set. She had a long day ahead of her, and she wasn’t exactly in the mood for surprises. 

Although, maybe surprises weren’t so bad when they looked like Ned Dayne.

In the years since they’d worked together, Ned had gotten taller. He’d only been a year younger than Gendry, but he’d been at least a foot and a half shorter. Now, though he still wasn’t as tall as Gendry, he was towering above Arya. He’d filled out, too. Muscles that Arya had never noticed before were visible in his arms underneath the sleeves of his shirt. He had a nice tan and his hair was lighter like he’d spent a lot of time in the sun recently. 

“Ned,” she smiled shyly. “Hi.”

_

“So, I was thinking of coming to Braavos this weekend,” Gendry informed her during one of their weekly phone calls.

“Oh, Genj, I wish,” Arya sighed. “But Ned and I are going to Lorath this weekend. Jaqen was on set this week and he told me about this great trail that you can hike-”

“Ned?” Gendry’s voice suddenly sounded much deeper to Arya. “As in Ned Dayne?’’ 

“Yeah, he’s in Braavos filming his new movie. We ran into each other at the coffee shop I really like,” she chewed her bottom lip. “I thought I told you.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Oh,” Arya sighed into the phone. Lately, talking to Gendry was becoming more and more of a minefield. The both of them were always so quick to anger these days. “Well, we ran into each other last month and we’ve been hanging out ever since. It can be really lonely filming abroad, especially since I’m by myself for most of it. It’s nice to have a familiar face around.”

“So, you need a familiar face in Lorath, too?” Gendry’s tone was biting, and Arya wasn’t entirely sure what she’d done to make him so upset.

She huffed. “What the hells does that even mean, Waters?”

“Nothing,” he ground out. She could practically hear him clenching his jaw. “Night, Arya.”

The line went dead.

_ 

“He hates me, Arya. Since my first day on set, he’s hated me.”

“Ned,” she reasoned. “He didn’t hate you. We were both just wary of new people. We liked our little group.”

_

“Have you spoken to Gendry lately?” Sansa asked over the phone.

“Not since I got back from Lorath,” Arya bit her bottom lip. “Why? Is everything okay?”

“Sure,” Arya could hear the excitement in her sister’s voice. “It’s just I ran into Jeyne in a shop on Visenya’s Hill yesterday. She looked miserable. She complimented my tan, and I told her how I’d just gotten back from visiting you in Braavos. She rolled her eyes so hard you would have thought they’d fall out. She thought she was being subtle, but I totally caught it. And she mumbled something under her breath about how everybody ‘thinks Braavos is _ so _great.’” 

Arya laughed at her sister's impression of Jeyne. “It’s no secret she doesn’t like me, Sans. I think the only person who hasn’t realized it is Gendry.”

“That’s the thing!” Sansa practically squealed. “He called her as we were talking, and I could hear them arguing as she walked away! I think they’ve been fighting for a while now. They’ve barely been seen together in a month!” 

“Gods, Sans, way to be excited about Gendry’s misery.”

“Oh, come off it. You know you’d be happy if they broke up.”

And even though she hated herself for it, Arya knew she would be.

_

“Excited for the premiere?” Bran asked as he watched the seamstress pin her dress into place. 

“No,” Arya huffed. “It’s already weird without Hot Pie and Gendry and now you and Meera won’t even be there.” 

“Jojen has a big movie premiere in Essos,” Bran reminded her. “We’re not even in this season, how could we not go?”

“I know. I know. ‘His sister and his boyfriend.’ Blah, blah, blah.” Arya mimicked with a grin.

Bran laughed. “You’ll do great. Besides, Sansa needs the moral support. Baelish is going to be there.”

“Ugh,” she groaned. “Baelish? Kill me now.”

_

“Sorry, Peter, but Sansa owes me a dance, and I refuse to take no for an answer,” Theon smirked as he pulled Sansa delicately from Peter’s grasp.

Sansa shot him a grateful look as Baelish begrudgingly made his way off the dance floor. “My knight in shining armor.”

Arya sincerely hoped they didn’t hear her gag.

_

“How was the premiere?” Gendry asked as they sat down to lunch. 

“It was good,” Arya shrugged. “Sansa and I got drunk and watched Theon try to pretend he wasn’t high while following one of the servers around for crab puffs.”

“Ha,” he chuckled. “I would have paid to see that.”

“You could’ve come you know,” Arya said softly. She hadn’t been sure if she wanted to bring it up at all, but now that the words were out, she might as well finish. “I did offer to take you as my plus one.”

Gendry sighed, taking a long sip of his beer. “Yeah, I know, but Jeyne and I had just gotten over our last fight. I didn’t want to cause any more problems.” 

“Gendry,” she had a hard time understanding why he put up with all of this. “It shouldn’t be like that in a relationship. Not when you love each other.”

The smile that made its way onto Gendry’s face was pained. “That’s the thing. I’m not really sure we do.”

_

Sansa was helping her plan her eighteenth birthday party. Or rather, Sansa was planning her eighteenth birthday party.

“Really, Sansa,” Arya sighed as she looked around her sister's apartment. There were handmade decorations everywhere and Arya was starting to feel like she was living in one of her sister's Pinterest boards. “I would’ve been fine just going to the pub. You didn’t need to get all posh on me.”

Sansa scoffed. “I’m not getting _ posh _. I’m just decorating the room we rented. It’ll be the pub night you wanted, just with a little more privacy and a lot more decoration.”

“It’s not quite a pub night if there are decorations.”

“Oh, hush, you,” she laughed. “Better get used to it. You’re moving down the hall in a month. I've already started a new board on Pinterest for inspiration.”

_

“Hey,” Arya smiled as she answered her phone. It had been ages since she’d gotten to just sit on the couch and chat shit with Gendry. She was excited, even if they had to do it over the phone.

“Hey, Arry,” he sounded nervous. “Listen, I’ve gotta tell you something and I know you’re gonna be pissed. So, just, let me explain myself first. Alright?”

“What is it?” Arya asked, her voice flat. She had a feeling she already knew the answer to her own question.

She heard him take a deep breath before answering. “I can’t come to your birthday.”

Silence. 

He seemed to be waiting for her to react, but Arya had been preparing herself for this since the day Sansa had sent out the invitations. Gendry had flaked on every important thing she’d asked him to come to since he’d gotten with Jeyne, and she refused to be surprised that he’d done it again.

“It’s just, well,” he seemed to be trying to find the right words. “I was going to go. Jeyne’s supposed to be in the Riverlands visiting her aunt this weekend, but she found the invitation in my desk drawer and she freaked out. It was one of the biggest fights we’ve ever had. She basically told me I could either go to her aunt’s house with her or we were through. She said she’d cause a scene if I went to your party. I didn’t want to cause all that stress, it wasn’t worth it.”

“Okay.”

“I’m really- wait, _ okay _? That’s it?” Gendry’s voice sounded surprised even to Arya, who wasn’t paying much attention to what he was saying anyway. She was too busy trying not to cry.

“I don’t know what you want me to say, Gendry,” she sighed, “It’s the same thing every time. I invite you to something and you promise you’ll be there. You promise that it’ll be different this time, but it never is. As soon as Jeyne finds out about your plans, she tells you that you can’t go. Every time. And like a bloody idiot, you listen. Then I get the phone call or the text that says ‘I’m really sorry, it’s just not worth it.’ 

“I get it, Gendry, I do. It's your relationship and you don’t want to fight with her. But I’m supposed to be your best friend, and you won’t fight _ for _ me. All you ever tell me is that I’m not worth it. That I’m not worth the f-fight.” She hated that her voice cracked on the last word. Her tears were streaming down her cheeks freely now, and she was starting to become a bit hysterical. 

“Arya,” Gendry’s voice was thick with emotion. _ Was he crying too? _“It’s not like that, I promise.”

“Then what is it like, Gendry? Tell me, because I haven’t the slightest idea. Tell me what other reason you could possibly have for being such a shit friend. Did I make you angry? Is it my fault?”

“No! I-”

“So it’s her, then,” Arya cried. “It’s her. She’s more important.”

“Arya, please-”

“No, Gendry. I’m done,” she cut him off. “Have fun in the Riverlands.”

She hung up the phone and cried until Sansa came home.

_

“Happy Birthday, Arya.” Ned Dayne smiled as he wrapped her up in a tight hug and kissed her softly on the cheek. 

She smiled back, wondering how she was going to tell him she didn’t feel the same about him as he did about her. 

_

“Arry!” Lommy yelled as he ran to hug her. It had been months since she’d seen him or Hot Pie, and it felt so nice to be with her friends again. There was only one thing missing. 

“Where’s Gendry?” Lommy asked. 

Arya sighed. She hadn’t wanted to think about Gendry at all, but she’d been having a hard time sticking to that even before Lommy mentioned him. “He’s not coming.”

Lommy and Hot Pie both gave her a curious look. 

She shrugged. “Jeyne.”

“What? That’s bullshit!” Hot Pie grumbled. 

“Tell me about it,” she sighed. “Anyways, I need a drink.”

_

Two hours into her eighteenth birthday party, and Arya Stark was on her way to being well and truly drunk. 

She’d done two shots with her brothers and sister, had a pint or two with Lommy and Hot Pie, and no matter how many times she insisted she was fine Ned Dayne kept bring her fruity drinks from the bar. She didn’t really like them, but one’s eighteenth birthday was not the time to get picky about alcohol. 

She was sitting in a corner booth, watching her friends and family dance and laugh and drink. She’d been having a great time, but she needed a break from everyone’s attention. Nobody quite knew exactly how to handle her, and the one person who did was in Riverlands. 

Just as Arya was about to down the rest of her drink to escape her feelings, she heard a voice behind her. 

“Arya Stark with a Malibu Bay Breeze? Didn’t take you for the type to drink bitch drinks, m’lady.” 

Arya whirled around. There stood Gendry, smiling down at her. He was dressed in a gray button down and dark jeans, his leather jacket bringing out the blue in his eyes. He looked good. 

“Ned Dayne got it for me,” she shrugged. 

Gendry’s face darkened. “Shows he knows fuck all about you, then,” a smile. “C’mon, lets go get you a real drink.”

Arya smiled as she took his hand and he led her to the bar. 

_ 

“One Jack and Coke and a whiskey neat, please.” Gendry smiled at her as he ordered from the bartender. 

“Take it the whiskey’s for me then?” Arya asked, a slight smile on her face. 

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Whiskey’s more of a twenty-first birthday drink. Just enjoy your Jack.”

As the bartender handed them their drinks, Gendry leaned in. “See the blonde bloke over there?” He pointed at Ned Dayne, dancing with Sansa and Meera. “He’s cut off on the Malibu Bay Breezes._ A bloody waste. _”

_

“So,” Arya started as she sipped her drink. “Why aren’t you in the Riverlands?” 

Gendry sighed. He finished his drink in one solid gulp before answering. “I was gonna go, but when I was packing I just realized how upset I was at the thought of missing out on this,” he gestured around the room to their friends playing beer ball and flip cup. Sansa and Theon were sat in the corner, laughing and fiddling with the jukebox. Jon and Ygritte were laughing at Robb who was trying to dance. “I told Jeyne I was coming whether she liked it or not.”

“What did she say to that.”

“Nothing,” he chuckled dryly. “But she did take everything she owned from my apartment when she left. She called me this morning and dumped me.”

“Oh, Gendry,” she sighed. She hoped her face wasn’t being as traitorous as her heart, which was currently fluttering happily in her chest. “I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be,” he brushed her off. “We were fighting all the time. She was jealous of you. Didn’t want me to speak to you anymore. I never gave in, but I shouldn’t have let it go on as long as it did.”

“Oh,” Arya murmured. She hadn’t realized it had been that bad. 

“Doesn’t matter now,” he smiled and stood from his seat, pulling her with them. “We’re up in beer ball. Let’s murder them.” 

Arya and Gendry wiped the floor with Hot Pie and Lommy. She hadn’t had so much fun in ages. 

_

“Alright, m’lady” Gendry groaned as he stood from his seat, pulling a wobbly Arya up with him. “Let’s get you home.”

“No,” she whined, tugging on his hand to pull him towards the bar. “I don’t want to go home.”

“What do you want, then?” Gendry’s eyes were bright and his smiled amused.

Arya thought for a moment, before her face lit up. “Another Jack and Coke!”

Apparently the excitement was too much for her, because she stumbled straight into Gendry’s chest. His arms automatically wrapped around her waist and he looked down at her as he laughed.

“Another time, okay? Right now, it’s time for bed. Where are you staying?”

Arya pouted. “Sansa’s.”

“C’mon then,” he made to walk her towards the door, keeping one arm around her waist. “I’ll call us a cab.”

_

“Sansa’s not home, then?” Gendry asked as he helped her into the guest room.

“No,” Arya shrugged, stumbling as she tried to take off her boots. “I think I remember her saying something about going to Margaery’s with Robb and Theon.”

She stumbled into her room and pulled a shirt from the dresser, quickly discarding her clothes and throwing it on. When she was done, she turned to find Gendry standing awkwardly in the doorway, eyes focused on the floor.

“You can look now, stupid,” she smiled as she collapsed onto the bed. 

Gendry looked up, his face scrunching in confusion. “Is that my shirt?”

Arya looked down at the shirt she’d thrown on. It was maroon with a Flea Bottom College Cross Country logo on it. She’d had it in her closet for ages.

“It’s mine now,” she shrugged.

He chuckled as he made his way to the bed, pulling her blanket up to her chin. “Goodnight, m’lady. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He began to make his way towards the door, but Arya reached out and grabbed his wrist. “Stay.”

“Arya,” his voice was soft. “It’s late.”

“Stay.”

“You’re drunk.”

“Stay.”

“I really should go home.” 

“Stay,” she knew she had him.

“You’re a nuisance,” he said, but he was smiling as he crawled into bed next to her.

_

Arya woke up the next morning to Gendry’s weight pinning her to the bed.

She was flat on her back with Gendry’s body completely molded to her side. His arm was wrapped around her waist, and her head was tucked under his chin.

She smiled to herself as she drifted back to sleep.

_

They were eating breakfast when Sansa practically skipped into the kitchen.

“What’s got you in such a good mood?” Gendry grumbled. He could be called surly on the best of days, but when he was hungover he was a pure grouch. 

“Nothing,” she smiled as she pulled a green juice from the fridge. “Just excited about the lovely weather.”

Arya peeked out the window by the sink. It was cloudy and dreary, the temperature had dropped ridiculously low for the time of year.

It all made sense a few seconds later, when a shirtless Theon came stumbling out of Sansa’s bedroom.

“Yes, the weather,” Gendry rolled his eyes as he bit into his toast.

_ 

“I’m not sure if you remember,” Gendry said as he pulled on his leather jacket in the entryway. “But you agreed to pizza and a movie with the guys tonight. My place at eight?”

“Sure.” Arya smiled, holding the door for him as he left. 

She hoped he didn’t hear her sigh as she fell against the door as soon as she shut it.

_

“You and Theon?” Arya asked Sansa at lunch that day.

Sansa gave her a small smile. “Apparently all it took was us getting drunk together. He’s been pining after me for years.”

Arya scoffed. “So, you’re shagging now, then?”

“No,” her sister blushed. “Not yet, anyway. We were both way too drunk last night. He just slept over.”

Arya laughed. “Were those octopus boxers I saw peeking out of his waistband this morning?”

Sansa flushed red enough to match her hair. “Speaking of sleeping together, you and Gendry got awfully cozy last night.”

It was Arya’s turn to blush, then. “We did not. You didn’t even come out of your room until we were halfway through breakfast.”

“True,” Sansa smirked. “But I did bear the burden of checking to make sure you’d made it home safe last night. Imagine my surprise to see you weren’t the only one who’d gotten back to my flat in one piece.” 

Arya opened her mouth to protest, but Sansa had already pulled out her phone, showing Arya a picture of her and Gendry that morning. They were both sound asleep, tucked into each other’s arms.

“Sansa! You took a picture?”

“Oh honey, I took _ pictures _,” she smiled, putting an extra emphasis on the plural. “But don’t worry, we don’t have to talk about it right now.” 

The two went back to eating their lunches in silence.

“Sansa?” Arya asked sheepishly after a long moment. 

“Hmm?’ Her sister looked up from her salad with a smile.

“Could you send me those pictures?”

Sansa’s smile grew wider. “Oh, I already did.”

_ 

_ Gendry 15:27 _

_ Want to hear some incredibly obvious, but also niche knowledge that I have recently come across? _

_ Arya 15:29 _

_ sure _

_ Gendry 15:29 _

_ Filming sex scenes with ur ex is incredibly uncomfortable _

_ Arya 15:30 _

_ yeah _

_ could’ve told you that _

_ Gendry 15:31 _

_ U filmed a sex scene with an ex before? _

_ u have an ex? _

_ wait _

_ when have you filmed a sex scene?! _

_ Gendry 15:34 _

_ Arya _

_ Gendry 15:40 _

_ Arya _

_ answer me _

_ Arya 15:41 _

_ ;) _

_

“I really did not need to see that,” Gendry groaned as they left the theatre.

Arya scoffed. “Oh come off it. It was the most PG sex scene in the history of film!”

He gave her a dark look. “Not with you in it, it wasn’t.”

_

“So did you really date that guy from the movie?” 

“_ Good Gods, _ no, Gendry! I wasn’t being serious about shooting a sex scene with an ex. I was just calling you an idiot!”

“_ Oh _.”

_

“How’s Dorne?” Arya asked Gendry as she cooked her dinner.

He smiled at her through the phone. They were both enjoying their newly reinstated weekly FaceTime chats. “It’s been good. Ran into Ned Dayne, turns out he’s dating some Dornish actress.”

“You sound rather pleased with that,” she pointed out.

“Eh,” he shrugged noncommittally. “How’s Braavos?”

“It’s good. I’m glad it’s my last season here though. I never thought I’d be able to say it, but I miss King’s Landing.”

“Ha!” Gendry laughed. “Soon you’ll be rooting for the Dragons.”

Arya feigned shock at his words. “Never!”

_ 

“Welcome back, Arry!” Gendry smiled, holding up a sign with her name on it, complete with a terrible drawing of a direwolf. 

Arya rolled her eyes, fighting back a smile. The bloody idiot had made a sign to pick her up from the airport. _ She could kill him. _

“I missed you,” she said instead as he wrapped her in a hug.

_

He barged into her apartment two weeks after the season premiere.

“I got the scripts!”

Arya looked up from her spot on the couch, to see Gendry smiling widely at her. “Huh?” 

“I got the scripts,” he began, talking a little quickly. “I didn’t want to tell you in case it didn’t end up happening, but Tyrion called me while I was filming in Dorne. They want me back on Five Kings! I just got my scripts today!” 

“That’s amazing!” Arya shot up from the couch. “We finally get to work together again!”

Gendry frowned slightly. “Not quite yet.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Well, I do get the feeling that they’re leading to a reunion,” he began. “But Eyan still thinks Lyara is dead, or married to the Bolton bastard.”

Arya shuddered at the thought of anyone marrying Ramsay. The guy was a _ creep _. 

“So,” Gendry continued. “Remember the scene from season three where Davos’s character gets stuck at the Inn and bonds with Eyan? Well, now he goes back and finds Eyan still there. He takes him to see your brother and Eyan basically offers up his services in honor of Lyara. Lady Stoneheart has basically wiped the Freys off the map, but she gets killed in the process. Eyan had been following her to help avenge Lyara or something and now he’s lost. He doesn’t know what to do with all of his grief. There’s a huge scene about redemption and honoring those we’ve lost.”

Arya rolled her eyes. “Sounds like they’re keeping us apart for another season.”

“No, it’s bloody brilliant,” he exclaimed. Gendry ran his hands through his hair as he paced the living room. “Everyone still thinks Lyara’s dead or married off to some sadist. Tyrion said that a few of the producers wanted to keep him from mentioning Lyara, but Eyan would never go to her brother, especially the one who looks just like her, and keep his mouth shut. So, there’s a scene where they drink and Eyan gets a bit drunk and just spills the whole story. And you can just tell he loves her, Arya, it’s practically _ pouring _ out of him.

“Then there’s this whole mission beyond the Wall, and the Hound is there. Eyan tries to fight him, but the others hold him back. And once they get back, they head out to Winterfell. It’s bloody brilliant.”

Arya couldn’t help but smile watching Gendry describe his role in the next season to her. Maybe not working together for another year would be worth it after all. 

_

“It’s nice to be back in Winterfell,” Arya smiled as she and Sansa lounged in the living room. 

“Agreed,” Sansa smiled. “Do you think Mum and Dad will come to set?”

“Gods, I hope not. It always makes me nervous acting in front of them!”

Sansa giggled. “Me too. What about Gendry? Isn’t he coming up north to film?”

“Not until after Jon’s done here,” Arya shrugged. “He has to wrap on the movie he’s been working on first.”

“Oh, do you think you’ll visit him on set?”

“Maybe,” she shrugged. 

_ Definitely _. 

_

“Arry, slow down!” Gendry yelled, cheeks flushed from the cold and the alcohol. “You’re going to slip and break your neck running like that.”

Arya giggled. “I have the blood of the First Men, Genj. I’m genetically incapable of slipping on ice.” 

Still she stopped skipping and waited for him to catch up. “But I guess I can use my genetic advantages to help you along.”

She reached out her hand and he took it gratefully, clutching it tightly in his own. 

“Thank you, m’lady.”

_

“I knew your sister, your Grace,” Gendry bowed his head, looking sheepish. 

“Aleyna?” Jon questioned, confusion etched on his face. Obviously he couldn’t begin to fathom where Gendry had met his sister. 

“No, your Grace. Your _ other _ sister, Lyar- Lady Lyara.” 

Jon’s face went through a variety of emotions in what seemed like a single second. Confusion, elation, rage, and finally grief. “How did you know her, Ser Eyan?”

Gendry paused, taking a long sip from his mug of ale. When he looked back up at Jon, his eyes were shining and there was a small almost sorrowful grin on his face. “We met on the Kingsroad when I was still just a boy of four and ten. We took care of each other, or tried to at least. We were starving, she’d eat bugs when she could find them. I never quite had the stomach for it, though.”

It was as if the floodgates had opened and he was spilling his entire soul to her brother. He told him about everything, from the first time they met, to their time at Harrenhal, to counting Weirwood stumps at High Heart. He did leave out much about their time at Acorn Hall, though. Probably a wise choice on his part. 

When Gendry finally made it to the night she’d run, he bowed his head in shame. “She was so angry with me, I think. I tried to explain, to apologize, but she’d hear none of it. I searched the woods until dawn, but found nothing. When the morning came, I got what Brothers I could on horseback and we began searching everywhere. When I heard that she’d been sold off to the Bolton bastard, when I heard about the horrible things he was doing to her, I-“

Gendry clenched his fists angrily and took a long swig of his ale, unable to continue. 

“She wasn’t given to the Boltons, Ser Eyan,” Jon smiles wryly. 

“Beg pardon, your Grace, but I don’t understand.” 

“The girl who married Bander Bolton was not my sister, but an imposter,” he explained. “My other sister’s best friend from Winterfell. She knew Lyara well enough to impersonate her. She escaped from the Boltons a few moons ago, and made her way to Castle Black.” 

“So then Lyara, she’s-“

“Likely dead.” Jon sighed, looking like a man twice his age and utterly defeated. “It would do you well not to get your hopes up, Ser.”

Gendry glowered down at his ale as if it had personally called him a stupid bastard. 

“And cut!” The director yelled. “Great work everybody. Take five while we set up the next scene.”

Arya ran to Gendry, throwing herself at him and wrapping him in a tight hug. “That was amazing! You can literally _ feel _ how much he misses her.”

Gendry smiled as he squeezed her tightly. He sighed, letting her drop back to the floor and releasing her. “I wish you could be here when Clegane arrives. They’re having me try to beat the shit out of him.” 

“Now _ that _ I’d pay to see.”

_

Having Gendry back at their premieres was great. Being able to drink at them was even better. 

They stumbled out of the after party together, each with an arm around the other and laughing hysterically, hoping to maintain some semblance of balance. 

Sat in the back of the town car, Gendry went into a very detailed story of his meeting with Varys, the incredibly eccentric director of what Gendry was hoping would be his next project. 

Arya laughed the whole way home.

_

** _Fantasy Romances Come to Life:_ **

_ Last night’s Five King’s premiere event was a shippers dream! Many highly anticipated couples from the show took their romance off-screen for the premiere of their seventh season. Jon Snow and Ygritte, who play ill-fated, star-crossed lovers in the show, were recently married in real life. This premiere marks their first official appearance as newlyweds! Fellow redhead Sansa Stark and Theon Greyjoy certainly turned heads as well. Rumors have been circulating for months, but the two have only recently confirmed their relationship, making this their first public outing as a couple. Arya Stark and Gendry Waters were also seen looking incredibly cozy as they left the after-party together. These two are the spitting image of Robert Baratheon and Lyanna Stark, here’s hoping their (as of yet unconfirmed) romance has a happier ending than that of their predecessors! _

_

“My head is killing me, Arry.” Gendry groaned from his spot on the couch. 

Arya laughed. “That’ll teach you not to get so drunk at the next season premiere. If I have to carry your sorry arse out of one more event, I’m finding a new costar, Waters.” 

“Nah,” he smirked, eyes still closed against the harsh light. “You love me too much.”

And, _ oh _, she really, really did. 

_ 

Sansa burst through the door of her apartment unannounced, eyes wild and mouth smiling something wicked. 

“Did you get the scripts?” She asked in lieu of a hello, or even a bloody explanation for her odd behavior. 

Arya looked up at her sister and rolled her eyes, gesturing for her to wait a minute as she ended her phone call. “Genj? I’ll call you back, Sansa’s being a freak. Yeah, see you for dinner.”

Sansa was practically vibrating with excitement as Arya set down her phone. 

“So,” she began. “What’s this about the scripts?”

“Did you get them?” Sansa asked. “Have you read them?”

“I got them,” Arya shrugged. “But I haven’t read them yet. Gendry and I usually do it together. I’m meeting him at his place for dinner tonight so we can get started.”

Sansa’s eyes lit up. “That’s perfect! Although, as much as I’d love to be a fly on the wall for that, I think you should read episode two scene eleven before you go. Maybe even right now.” 

“Sansa,” Arya groaned. 

“Oh just do it!” Sansa squealed as she sat down on the couch beside her. 

“Fine,” she grumbled, opening up her laptop and pulling up the scripts. She opened the script entitled _ A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms _, scrolling to scene eleven. 

“It’s Lyara and Eyan,” Arya shrugged. “Why do I have to read this now?” 

“Oh trust me,” Sansa smirked. “You don’t want to read this for the first time in front of Gendry.”

Arya rolled her eyes, but continued reading. 

Sansa watched her sister, eagerly, noting every change in her expression. Finally, Aryas cheeks flushed and her brows furrowed, she was biting her bottom lip. _ She’s read it! _

“This is a joke,” Arya whispered. “One of those cruel, ridiculous jokes that those assistant producers like to play. Like when they told you that Aleyna was getting a love interest but it was just Littlefinger being a creep.”

Sansa shook her head, still smirking. “If it was a prank, I don’t think they’d have put it in all of our scripts.”

“Oh gods,” Arya groaned, resting her head in her hands. “I’m filming a sex scene with Gendry!”

_ 

“Did you read it?” Arya asked as soon as she walked into Gendry's apartment for dinner that night. 

“Read what?” 

“The script, stupid,” she didn’t like how high her voice had gotten. She was Arya Stark, she could handle a little bit of awkwardness. “Have you read it?”

“No,” Gendry shrugged. “Sansa told me something about episode two, but I figured I’d wait since all my scenes are with you anyways.” 

“Yeah, about that,” Arya sighed, handing him her phone. She’d already had the script opened to that scene, ready for him to read. “You can read this one on your own. I’ll bloody die of embarrassment if I have to be the one to read it to you.”

Gendry took her phone, confusion etched on his face. Arya had always quite liked the way he looked when he was thinking too hard. His eyebrows scrunched together and his mouth puckered in a way that almost made him look pained. She tried hard not to think about how absolutely adorable she found it as he read the scene she’d handed him.

She noticed the change on his face as soon as it happened. His brows rose and his cheeks flushed, he was mouthing the words as he read them, shaking his head. As he finished, he stood abruptly, walking over to the fridge and pulling out a few beers. He handed one to her before he opened his own, taking a long sip. 

“Okay,” he said once he’d finished. “Okay, so we’re filming a sex scene. It’s fine. We’re professionals, we can handle this.”

“Of course,” Arya agreed, refusing to look him in the eye and instead sipping her beer. 

“We’re best friends, at least. It’ll make it more comfortable, ya know? Safe and stuff.”

“Sure.”

They fell into silence then, each of the abnormally focused on their beers. 

_ 

“That was awful, Sans.” Arya groaned as they left the table read together. 

“It really wasn’t that bad,” Sansa shrugged as she started the car. 

“Not that bad? Didn’t you see the look on Jon’s face? He looked like he wanted to throw up, or murder Gendry! Theon could barely stop giggling!”

“Well,” Sansa shrugged. “It’s Jon’s fault for not reading the scripts beforehand. Besides, it’s not like he’ll be there when you actually film the scene.”

“Oh gods, don’t remind me! All of Westeros is going to watch me pretend to fuck my best friend!” 

“Well, it could be worse.”

“How?”

“At least they don’t know you’re in love with him.”

_

“Look, we’ve known you since you’re a child, so we’re not going to ask you to show much,” Tyrion smiled warmly at her. “But we want to treat you with the respect an actress of your age and skill deserves. We’re going to leave it up to you, but we need it to feel authentic to the show as well as to Lyara’s character.”

“Okay,” Arya nodded. “I can work with that.”

_

“What did you decide on, then?” Sansa asked as they ate their lunch together. There was nothing better than filming with her entire family in her hometown. Arya was almost sad that this would be their last season.

“I talked about it with Tyrion and we agreed that it wouldn’t be flashy or anything,” Arya shrugged. “Just taking my top off, barely even any sideboob action.”

“Have you told Gendry the plan, then?”

“No,” she blushed. “We agreed it would be better if we didn’t keep each other up to date on all of those details.”

Sansa’s smirk betrayed her. “A very wise decision.”

_

“Were you with any girls before that in King’s Landing, or after?” She asked as she pulled her gloves off slowly. 

He sputtered ridiculously, obviously unsure of how to answer.

She quirked a brow. “You don’t remember?”

He sighed, obviously defeated. He never had been able to deny her anything. “Yes, I was.”

“One? Two? Twenty?”

“Well, I didn’t keep count,” he argued indignantly.

She wanted to roll her eyes at him, but instead she settled on giving him a knowing look. “Yes you did.” 

He sighed, of course she would be stubborn enough to get his entire sexual history from him in a bloody storage room. “Three.”

Her steadiness faltered as she made his way closer to him, so close she had to tilt her head up to look him in the eye. “We’re probably going to die soon,” she gulps. It’s now or never. “I want to know what it’s like before that happens.”

He looked down at her, mouth hanging open slightly as if he couldn’t believe what she was saying. His eyes flickered down to her lips, then back to her eyes.

She quirks a brow at him.

“Arya, I-”

“Cut!” Their director yelled. “She’s not Arya, she’s Lyara.”

Gendry shook his head as if to clear it, but his eyes flickered down to her lips one last time. “Right, sorry.”  
_

“I want to know what it’s like before that happens.” 

And then. they’re kissing. It’s slow at first, he was holding back as if he thinks he shouldn’t be doing this. As if, even when his lips were on hers, he knows he’s a bloody bastard and she’s a noble. A princess or a lady or whatever.

But she wouldn’t let him think that way, not on their last night alive. So, she put her hand on his back, and pulled him closer to her. It was as if he couldn’t hold back any longer, as if he’d lost all of his will, and suddenly he was kissing her passionately, as if he’d been waiting to do so for years.

It was frantic and a bit awkward as they fumbled with each other’s clothes, but then they were chuckling and smiling and kissing again, and any awkwardness faded into something hot and heavy that she’d been wishing for ever since she saw him on that horse in Wintertown. 

The part of Arya that’s acting was fully invested in being Lyara in that moment. Fully invested in what she’d be feeling if her best friend, on who she’d thought dead or lost to her, had come back. How she’d be feeling if it were her last night on earth, with the only man she’d ever thought she could be capable of loving. 

The other part of Arya was relishing in the feeling of kissing Gendry, of touching him, of him smiling into their kiss. She’d been dreaming about kissing him since she was practically twelve years old, and even though it was only acting, and he didn’t feel the same way about her, she was going to enjoy it. It may have been the only chance she ever got.

She smiled once more as she pulled his tunic from the breeches he wore and up over his head. He reached behind her, trying to cup the back of her neck gently, but she pushed him down onto the grain sacks behind them. 

She pulled her own tunic out of her breeches, steeling herself. She’d be fine, it was only Gendry. They were playing parts in a show, he wasn’t really going to be looking at her naked chest. _ Deep breath. _ Then, she tugged her shirt up and over her head.

His wide eyes were on hers, then down to her chest. _Stupid_, she thought. _He’s supposed to be looking at the scars!_

As if he could hear her thoughts, his eyes flicked down to the scars that had been painted onto her side. His face was stuck in a state of shock, had been since she’d pushed him. She quirked a brow as he stared at her body, suddenly feeling much less like an actress and more like a vulnerable little girl. She wracked her brain for a moment to remember her line. 

“I’m not one of those other girls,” she quipped. “Take your own bloody pants off.”

His hands instantly went to the laces on his breeches, but his eyes never left hers. She shimmied out of her pants quickly, praying to the gods that the little “_modesty patch_” they gave her would hold up.

It seemed like a lifetime, but in reality it was only a few seconds before she climbed on top of Gendry and flipped her hair. He was looking up at her in awe as she leaned down to kiss him again.

“Cut! That was great guys,” the director called. “I think we got it in that take.”

Arya sighed in relief as she pulled away. Gendry’s eyes were still closed, his lips parted slightly. She leaned back to relax and admire him for a moment before grabbing her robe, but when she sat back her ass brushed up against him and- _ oh _. 

“Oh,” she murmured.

Gendry’s eyes shot open, his face lushing. “I-” 

She got up quickly, pulling her robe on before turning back to look at him trying her damndest not to notice the rather obvious bulging in the stupidly thin pants of his costume. “It’s fine.”

“Arya,” he called, scrambling up off the sacks. “I just ya know, couldn’t help it. It’s just that sometimes that happens, I guess, when you film a scene like that.”

She sighed as she turned around, not wanting to have this conversation. “I get it, Genj. Don’t worry about it.”

“Okay,” he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “I just don’t want things to be weird.”

“Things aren’t weird.”

_

“Things are weird.” Gendry said as he barged into her room. He’d shown up unannounced to the flat she and Sansa were sharing whilst filming in Winterfell and hadn’t even knocked on her bedroom door.

“Gendry?”

“Things are weird,” he continued. “And I feel like it’s my fault.” 

“I told you-” she began, but he cut her off. 

“No, let me finish. I think it’s my fault because I haven’t been completely honest with you. _ That _doesn’t just happen when I film those scenes. Ever.”

Arya’s breath hitched in her throat. _He’d lied to her? _

“I mean,” he stumbled on, obviously unsure of himself. “It’s only ever happened today, with you.” 

“Okay,” she breathed.

“And I think I know why.”

Arya’s head was spinning. She looked up at him, eyes wide. “Why?”

“I’m in love with you, Arya,” he confessed. “I have been for a while now. At first you were too young, and then I was with Jeyne, and then I was convinced you didn’t feel the same way. But kissing you today, even if it wasn’t real, was amazing, and I knew I had to tell you if there was even the slightest chance I’d get to do it again.”

When she spoke, Arya’s voice sounded small and vulnerable even to her own ears. It was barely more than a whisper. “You’re in love with me?”

Gendry finally came to sit beside her on the bed, his hand brushing her knee softly. “I am.”

“Oh,” she wracked her brain for what to say. “I-” 

“It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way,” he smiled sadly. “You can tell me.”

But Arya had never been very good with words, so she leaned forward the slightest bit and brought her mouth to his.

Gods, if she’d thought that kissing Gendry on set was amazing, kissing him in private, when they weren’t playing characters and didn’t have a whole crew watching them, was the definition of the seventh heaven.

She pulled away slightly with a smile. “Stupid.”  
_

If kissing him was nice, this was even better.

He was on top of her, his weight pinning her to the bed as his hands roamed her body. His mouth was on hers, and he slipped his tongue inside with ease.

“I love you, Arry,” he smiled down at her as he pulled away.

“I love you,” she replied, pulling him in for another kiss.

_

She moaned into his neck as his fingers found her clit.

“Gods, Genj, keep doing that.”

He was more than happy to oblige.

_ 

“Arya,” he managed to get out between clenched teeth. “If you keep doing that with your tongue I’m gonna come.”

She sighed as she released him with a _ pop, _but not before lightly cupping his balls to draw another moan from his lips. “Can’t have that now can we?”

_

His mouth was on her cunt and she was positively burning with desire. If she didn’t come soon, she felt as though she’d explode.

“Oh gods,” she moaned as his tongue slipped inside of her. “Holy shit.”

He hummed in satisfaction against her as he moved his tongue back to her clit, slipping a finger inside her. 

“You’re so wet for me,” he mused. “Practically soaking.”

She moaned again at his words, she’d never imagined he’d be so good at all of this.

“You want to come don’t you?” Gendry smirked up at her as she whimpered. She wanted his mouth back on her, but he was obviously having too much fun teasing her. “I can see it on your face. You’re so concentrated on it.”

His finger brushed her clit, then he pinched it roughly between two of his fingers. “Let go, love.”

She cried out as her orgsm washed over her, back arching of the bed and hands clutching the sheets. She threw her head back and she felt Gendry working her through the intense pleasure and the aftershocks that followed. 

“That was amazing,” she breathed as she finally came to.

“Glad you enjoyed it,” Gendry smirked, moving up the bed to kiss her.

She knew he’d meant it to be sweet and chaste, but she pulled him down and deepened the kiss anyways. She wrapped her legs around his waist, feeling his cock brush against her.

“I want you inside of me,” she whispered in his ear with a gentle nip. 

He pulled back to look at her. “You’re sure? I know you’ve never done this before.”

Arya smirked. She hadn’t ever done this before, but she was in way too deep now to even want to back out. It just felt _ right _. He’d spent the last hour touching her and making her feel good in a thousand different ways, but _now_ he was making sure she wanted to have sex with him. “Yes, stupid, I’m sure.”

He rolled his eyes as he lined himself up at her entrance and pushed into her slowly, until he was completely sheathed inside her.

She hissed in pain at first, but found that the longer he was inside of her, the less it hurt. He stayed as still as possible for a while, letting her adjust. She looked up at him, eyes screwed shut and teeth biting his lower lip as he exhaled harshly through his nose. 

She brought a hand up to cup his cheek gently, his eyes shot open. “I’m okay. You can move.” 

He nodded as he started to pull back out, eyes fluttering. “Fuck, Arya, you’re so tight. You feel so good.” 

She clenched at his words, drawing another low moan from him. She could tell he was holding back for her benefit, but the pain had subsided and now all she wanted was to feel him moving inside of her.

“Genj,” she brought his attention back to her. “I want you to fuck me, please.”

“Thought that was what I was doing,” he rolled his eyes, but she knew he got the message.

He started pumping in and out of her faster, his mouth going from her lips to her jaw to her tits. She felt him bring one finger down to rub at her clit, and she could feel the pressure building again in her belly. 

“Fuck, Gendry,” she moaned as his finger moved roughly against her, perfectly in time with his thrusts. “That feels so good.”

He smirked as he brought his mouth to hers again, kissing her senseless while he fucked her senseless.

His movements began to grow sloppy after a while and she knew he was close. She could feel her own orgasm coming on, and as he grazed his teeth over her nipple and stroked her clit, she felt it crash over her.

She moaned, clenching tightly around Gendry’s cock as her third orgasm overtook her. She felt him come too, felt the warmth inside of her as he moaned. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, Arya.”

He collapsed on top of her, completely spent. She brought her hands to his hair, running her fingers through it as he lay on her chest.

“That,” he smiled sleepily. “Was amazing. You’re amazing.” 

Arya smiled. “So are you.”

_

“Move in with me,” he smiled at her as they lay in her bed, his arms wrapped around her waist and her head resting on his chest. 

“What?” Arya turned to face him, resting her chin on her hand against him.

“Move in with me,” Gendry repeated. “I know we just started this whole, well whatever this is, but I love you and I don’t ever want to wake up without you again.”

“Gendry,” she began.

“Wait, before you answer,” his eyes were pleading. “Just think for a second, okay? We’ve known each other forever. We’re best friends. I already know everything I need to know about you. Dating isn’t enough for me, Arry, not now, not with you. This is it for me, you know? You’re it for me.” 

Her heart felt like it could burst as she smiled up at him. This stupid, bullheaded, blue-eyed man that she’d loved practically her whole life. “What I was gonna say, was that you’ll have to move in with me. There’s no way in any of the seven hells that I’d move into the only building in King’s Landing without a lift.”

He smiled crookedly as he pulled her in for a kiss and she sighed. He was it for her, too.

_

She woke up the next morning to his arms wrapped around her, pulling her tightly against him.

She hadn’t slept so well in a long time.

_

“So, you two finally figured it out, then?” Sansa smirked as she sipped her tea in the kitchen.

Arya and Gendry had stumbled, bleary-eyed and half dressed, into the kitchen for breakfast, only to find Sansa and Theon smirking at them from the kitchen table. 

“Don’t know what you could possibly mean,” Arya shrugged as she poured some orange juice for her and Gendry. 

“Please,” Theon smirked as they took a sip. “We share a wall.”

Death by orange juice wouldn’t have been her first choice, so she was glad when Gendry patted her on the back to keep her from choking.

_

**Kisses in King’s Landing**

_ Looks like our favorite Five King’s couple has made it official! Arya Stark and Gendry Waters, who play Lyara Stark and Eyan respectively, have been spotted together countless times over the last few months. We’ve reported sightings of them at dinner together, out to the pubs, and everything in between. Just last month the pair headed to Dorne for a vacation near the Water Gardens. They seemingly moved in together nearly five months ago, but no sources would confirm or deny any of the rumors. Well, to all those “Gendrya” shippers out there, we’ve got good news! At this week’s premiere of Five King’s the couple arrived hand-in-hand. We took a moment to speak with them on the red carpet. _

_ Interviewer: Can you please tell us, we’ve been dying to know. Are the two of you together?_

** _Arya and Gendry share a look, smiling softly at one another. She grabs his hand._ **

** _Arya Stark: We are._ **

_ I: Congratulations! How has it been so far? _

** _Gendry Waters: Honestly, it’s been amazing. I never thought I’d meet the one so early on, but here we are._ **

** _AS: Yeah, it’s just the best. I can’t imagine life without him anymore. Not like this._ **

** _GW: Agreed._ **

_ Many eagle-eyed fans will notice the diamond ring on Arya’s left hand, but the couple remained very tight-lipped when asked about it._

** _AS: It’s pretty isn’t it._ **

_ Here’s to Arya and Gendry, and the hope that soon we’ll be reporting on their wedding! _

**Author's Note:**

> that was fun to write. i didn't even notice that it was a monstrous 18k words until i posted it!  
coming at you soon: a super sexy one-shot, a modern-day runaway au, a bwb one-shot, and don’t worry swod is still in the works!  
let me know what you think, love ya!
> 
> check out my [tumblr](https://chocolatecarstairs.tumblr.com/) under the same name


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